Western cyclone. [volume] (Nicodemus, Kan.) 1886-1887, 1887-04-21
LOCATION.

Esf1ClSo DtluS CIlC OllS IlIdI pIaC' IL 10
Situated on the north bank Of the
South Solomon river, p mile west Of
Stockton, ] mile west Of the east line
hnd IL miles south Of the north lire
spf Graham county, situated in the
midst Of the most beautiful farming
Heountry in Northwest Kansas. No
Town nearer than II miles to divide
he trade, there IS no better place to
invest your money than here.
GENERAL HISTORY.
III Nicodemus was first plated as a
government townsite June s, 1877, by
The Nicodemus Colony, an organize
'ttion formed at Topeka that year with
NV. II. Smith as president; S. p. Roun-
Tree, secretary; z. I. Fletcher, CORES
bonding secretary and postmaster. In
I878 J. w. Niles was chosen president
.lhnd Ex-State Auditor McCabe, secre-
aarv. In 1886 the tOwnsitc was deed
led by the inhabitants and from that
I|late began the permanent growth Of
The town. Settled here around Nico-
Hemus is the first colony Of colered
people ever settled on government
land, and the experiment has been
lBuccessful in every particular
III The townsite was fled on by the
lNicodemus Town Company by their
lbgent, w. r. Hill, who claims to have
been its first occupant, having taken
Up his lodging for the night Of June 3,
1877, in the draw east of where the F.
NJ church now stands, with the dry
grass for a pillow, the blue canopy of
heaven for a covering; during the
hight huge snake questioned his title
llhnd succeeded in driving him to new
bed.
II The first building on the townsite
was stone structure built by S. p.
Roundtree on the southeast corner Of
'ele site
Il The first religious service held IN the
town was in S. p Roundtrees house
in ~, he presiding as minister
The first grocery store was estab-
Used in II by z. 4. Fletcher in dug
but in the south part of town; the sec
Onu by the late Henry Smith, president
of the Lexington colony, in the spring
of Is, the third by Lewis Welton, who
erected the present F. N. church
Dpilding
The first free to-all fight in the town
sMas between Rev. John Anderson and
Deacon Joseph Jones in an argument
oyer scripture.
In rs there were between 600 and
200 people on the town site, that be-
ing the year Of the heavy migration
10 northwest Kansas, here was made
general headquarters and NiCodemus
then contained more inhabitants than
ERny town north of the K. 7. railroad
and west Of Beloit, but the following
summer found them all settled on fine
homesteads following the honest avo-
cation of farmers.
The first corn and wheat planted in
.Nic0demus township was in Il by S.
M. Roundtree, who dug the ground up
with spade; he also claims to be the
first settler having located here June
lis, ~.
The first school was held in z. T.
Fletchers dugout with Mrs. Pitcher as
teacher, the average daily attendance
being about 10.
The first school district organized
4 in Graham was here.
u. L. Fletcher was the first post
master serving from II to SO, The
snrst post Office being kept in dugout
in the southeast corner OF the town.
The mail was kept in tea chest with
Ia partition in it and for two years only
two newspapers were regularly re-
Sceived at the Office. The mail was
Icarred from Ellis once a week By
Nv. III. Smith, president of the colony
land father Of Mrs. r. T. Fletcher, it
WAS carried on foot Mr. Fletcher is
still in possession ofthe tea box that
$50 long served as postotlice.
In rs there were three hotels in the
Htown, A. Boles kept in stcne build
Ing OF the street south Of where the
Gibson House stands, this house
ranked as the best hotel in the county
lin those days, it was here that the arts
tocracy of the country dined, but only
h pile of stone marks the spot where
the building stood, the landlord and
proprietor has gone to his last resting
Nplace and such commodious structures
as the Gibson and StFrancis occupy
Its place The next was a sod hotel
81 just vest of where the F. n. church
now stands kept by J. Myres, it was
at one time the leading hotel of the
town and here Ye Editor eat his first
meal IN Nieodemus nine years ago;
the third hotel was kept III building
afterwards used by Hall & McCabe as
Il